Recipe
🍰 DESSERT
Pastelitos de Guayaba
Flaky puff-pastry parcels of sweet guava paste and cream cheese, glazed shiny, the classic Cuban bakery pastry.
Cuban · easy · serves 8
prep 20 min · cook 25 min
~119 cal · 6g protein · 7g carbs · 8g fat · 0g fiber · 7g sugars · 5g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Pastelitos are the pastries of the Cuban panaderia, sold in every Cuban bakery and set out for breakfast, coffee breaks, and celebrations alike. The most popular fills flaky puff pastry with guava paste, the dense, sweet, ruby-red preserve made from the tropical fruit.
The classic pairing is guava with a little cream cheese, the tang of the cheese cutting the intense sweetness of the guava, though guava alone (de guayaba) is just as traditional. The parcels are folded, egg-washed, and baked until they puff and shatter, then brushed with a sugar glaze for shine.
Eaten warm with a tiny, strong cafecito, they are a fixture of Cuban and Cuban-American life, the sort of pastry that draws a queue at the bakery counter on a Sunday morning.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian and nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 8
2 puff pastry sheets
10 oz guava paste, sliced
6 oz cream cheese
1 egg, beaten, for glazing
1/4 cup sugar, for the glaze
Instructions
1
Cut the pastry into squares and place a slice of guava paste and a little cream cheese on each.
2
Fold over into rectangles or parcels, press the edges to seal, and brush the tops with beaten egg.
3
Bake at 400F (200C) until puffed and deep golden, about 20 minutes.
✎ Chef’s note
Leave a little gap at the seam or vent the tops. Guava paste turns molten and will burst a fully sealed pastry.
4
Boil the sugar with a splash of water to a light syrup and brush over the hot pastries for shine.
Cuban panaderia tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Havana. Cubans do not treat rice and beans as one dish. Moros y cristianos has black beans cooked together with the rice and belongs to the western end of the island, Havana included, while congri proper is made with red beans and is eastern. Mojo criollo is built on sour orange, garlic, oregano and cumin rather than lime.
🗺️
Cuba. Moros y cristianos means Moors and Christians, and the name describes the method: black beans cooked together with the rice so the grains take the colour. That is not the same plate as congri, which uses red beans, and neither is the same as serving beans over rice from a separate pot. Ropa vieja arrived by way of the Canary Islands, and the traditional mojo is sour orange rather than lime.
🌍
North America. North America's table began with Indigenous foodways, the "three sisters" of corn, beans, and squash, plus chiles, tomatoes, and cacao, then layered on colonial, African, and immigrant influences. From Mexico's UNESCO-recognized cuisine to the Cajun and Creole pots of Louisiana and the fiery jerk of the Caribbean, the region turns ancient staples into something new. Barbecue, tacos, gumbo, and mole all carry stories of migration and adaptation.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Cuba
Ropa ViejaBeef braised and shredded into a rich tomato-pepper sofrito, Cuba’s national dish, named "old clothes."
Moros y CristianosBlack beans and white rice cooked together in one pot with a cumin-scented sofrito until every grain turns dusky and savory, the everyday soul of the Cuban table.
Tostada Cubana con Café con LecheButtered Cuban bread pressed flat and crisp, cut into batons for dunking into sweet, milky espresso, the quintessential Havana breakfast.
Browse all Cuba recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Oven.
Storing it: Store in an airtight container. Most keep 2 to 3 days at room temperature, and longer refrigerated.
Make it a Cuba meal
Arroz con Pollo a la CubanaDinner
MojitoDrink
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Frequently asked questions
What is Pastelitos de Guayaba?
Flaky puff-pastry parcels of sweet guava paste and cream cheese, glazed shiny, the classic Cuban bakery pastry.
Where does Pastelitos de Guayaba come from?
Pastelitos de Guayaba is a Cuban dish from Havana, Cuba.
Can Pastelitos de Guayaba be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Pastelitos de Guayaba recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Pastelitos de Guayaba safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Pastelitos de Guayaba take to make?
About 45 minutes total (20 minutes prep, 25 minutes cooking), serving 8.
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